originally posted on 8/18/2025
Photo: Chris Johnson. View full-sized image.
Something magical happened in Pittsburgh in September 2013 when a giant rubber duck visited the city and parked itself in the Allegheny River near the Point for a three-week visit. Thousands of people came to see the duck, which was part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts (see the duck’s arrival: here). Designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, who considered it to be an art installation, the 40-foot-tall duck with the enigmatic expression became a beloved fixture that Pittsburghers hated to see leave and wistfully hoped would return someday.
Fast forward 12 years later to June 2025 when the duck made its return — not to its water home in the Allegheny but to a ball field at Idlewild and SoakZone in Ligonier, Pennsylvania! Credit Idlewild’s director of marketing, Jeff Croushore, for making this happen. He discovered that the giant duck was available for appearances and remembered how popular it had been during its initial visit to Pittsburgh, so he arranged for it to visit Idlewild for the weekend of June 27-29.
April Lucas standing in front of the 40-foot-tall duck (for scale).
Photo: April Lucas Collection. View full-sized image.
For ACE Western Pennsylvania, it was a win-win: an opportunity to visit a regional park and see the six-story tall duck again (on dry land this time). It was also the first ACE Western Pennsylvania event at a Herschend Family Entertainment-owned park, owing to the recent sale of Palace Entertainment’s U.S. parks to the company.
The event on June 28 was informal but attracted 47 attendees, and Idlewild generously offered discounted admission to those without season passes and an hour of ERT from 10 to 11 a.m. on Rollo Coaster, Wild Mouse and Flying Aces (flying scooters). The off-season track work on Rollo Coaster resulted in some incredibly smooth and peppy rides, and Wild Mouse, which had just finished undergoing some rehab work, was appropriately wild and featured four different-colored mouse cars.
The giant unnamed duck and baby duck “Timmy.”
Photo: April Lucas. View full-sized image.
After ERT, everyone headed to the kiddie-oriented Raccoon Lagoon section of the park that was the temporary home for the giant duck and Timmy, a “baby” rubber duck. Random rubber ducks could be found all around Idlewild, and there was duck merchandise as well. The giant duck was an appropriate location for a group photo. Croushore joined the group there and answered duck-related questions: How long does it take to inflate? (1-1/2 hours). Will it be inflated during its entire stay? (It’s inflated and deflated depending on the weather).
Attendees enjoyed snacks and cold drinks in an Idlewild pavilion.
Photo: April Lucas. View full-sized image.
Later, attendees met at a pavilion and enjoyed snacks and soft drinks provided by the region. Regional Rep Bill Linkenheimer III thanked everyone for coming and thanked Idlewild for offering ERT.
It's tempting to thank Idlewild and the regional rep team for a “quacking” good time, but there was no quacking involved — just some park time with friends and a silent giant duck that provided the excuse for it all to happen.
— Lee Ann Draud, ACE News Managing Editor
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